Venetian blind tilter



Feb. 18, 1936. R. H. WRIGHT 2,031,354

. v VBNETIAN BLIND TILTER Filed May 24, 1935 Patented Feb. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE VENETIAN BLIND TILTEB.

Richard H. Wright, Cleveland, Ohio Application May 24, 1935, Serial No. 23,309

5.0laims. (Cl. 156-17) The present invention has to do with improved simplified mechanism for operation of Venetian blinds.

' The primary 'object of the invention has beento devise a simple, compact, and cheaply manufactured construction of tilt controlling. device or unit, commonly called in the art'a tilter, this devicebeing mounted on the head rail at the top of a window and being usually equipped with a flexible operating part such as a cord, chain, or the like, whereby to actuate a tilting plate or. member which is detachably connected with the uppermost bar of the Venetian blind, known as the tilt bar.

A special feature of my invention resides in the employment of a construction which is practically entirely made up of sheet metal stamping parts, with the exception of the operating worm upon the operating shaft for the tilt gear or sector.

Still another novel feature of the invention resides in the provision of a peculiar guide member for the operatingcord or flexible part which is connected to or passes around an operating wheel upon the operating shaft, which guide member is capable of a free swivelling or oscillating movement uponthe operating shaft independently of the latter and of the said wheel.

In the ordinary use of operating units of the type of the invention, the flexible operating member or cord is grasped and pulled downwardly at one or the other of its ends in order to control thetilting of the tilting bar for shifting the line members to different angular adjustments, thus tocontrol the amount of light and air passing therethrough. In certain prior devices, if the person operating theVenetian blind exerts a pull laterally upon the cord or flexible member,

. there is a tendency for the portions of the said member adjacent to each other, as they lead from the operating wheel, to bind and to thus make for some difflculty in the free actuation of the tilt bar. Under the conditions stated, by the use of the invention, if lateral tension or pull is placed upon either of the ends of the flexible operating member, in the manner previously stated, the guide member of the invention tends to swing upon the axis provided by the operating shaft and to align itself with the direction of pull. This action avoids any tendency of the pulled end or portion of the flexible member ,binding'between the guide portions of the guide 1 member and the other depending portion of the said cord element. In a measure the provision of-the guide ,member therefore affords a sort of fool-proof action of the device, useful under practical conditions of service.

A special object of the invention as to the guide member feature has been to so design the same as to facilitate the operation of passing the 5 pull cord therethrough and looping said cord about the operating wheel for the tilt bar.

Another detailed feature of the invention resides in the peculiar formation of the supporting bracket carrying the tilting mechanism whereby 10 to limit the extents of the opposite tilting movements of the tilt bar.

Additionally, I provide, according to this invention, a supporting bracket that is made out of a single metal stamping, but afiords a two-point 15 support for the operating shaft to permit a free rotative movement of the latter in its bearings at the two points of support.

The preferred construction of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- 20 Figure 1 is an end elevation of the tilting unit, the operating cord omitted, full lines showing the position of the tilt member or plate as horizontally disposed, and dotted lines illustrating the disposition of the plate when locked at an angle to 5 correspondingly lock the tilt bar.

Figure 2 is a side view of the mechanism of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the line 22 of Figure 1, but illustrating the operating cord applied to the operating pulley wheel. 30

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the mechanism as shown in Figure 2, taken from a point about on the line 33 of Figure 2. v

Figure 4 is a view of the tilting unit taken from a point about on the line 4-4 of Figure 2. 35

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the unit as mounted upon a head rail and showing a portion of the tilt bar in place on the tilt plate or member. 1

Figure 6 is a, detail sectional view showing 40 more clearly the method of mounting the operating wheel or pulley on the operating or pulley Shaft.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary showing of the engaging plate carried by the end of the tilt bar to 45 interlock the same with the tilt member. f

Figure 8 is a side elevation of the end plate Referring first to Figure 5 of the drawing,'zli denotes a head rail by which the Venetian blind and its operating mechanism are usually sup-15 ported -in acual use upon a window. These blinds are made up of shutter-like bars, the uppermost of which only is-illustrated in the drawing as the tilt bar I. All of the shutter-like bars of the blind below the tilt I re customarily 55 adapted to be raised by being pulled upwardly by a suitable pull cord or cords when it is desired to raise the blind and put it out of use. The parts employed for this purpose of raising the shutter members of the blind are not illustrated as they form no particular feature of this invention.

It will be seen from the drawing that the tilt bar I is equipped with an end plate 2 which is adapted to fit into slot portions 3 of the tilt member or plate l and formed in one side of the latter, designated la. The tilt member or plate l is of U-form, the side la constituting one side thereof and the opposite side lb beingjuxtaposed in contact with the inner side of the depending portion 5 of the attaching and supporting bracket 8. This bracket 6 consists of a metal stamping, the horizontal upper portion of which is provided with screw holes through which screws or similar fastenings pass to attach the same to the under-side of the head rail A. a

From the horizontal portions of the bracket 0 the same extends downwardly and is bent slightly outwardly or laterally, as shown at 6a, after which it extends downwardly or vertically at the portion which contacts with the side lb of the tilt member l. The metal stamping from which thelateral portion 6a of the bracket 6 is formed is preferably produced in the stamping operation with inwardly pressed-out lugs 6b, and these l'ugs are spaced apart in such a manner that one of the lugs will engage with the innermost portion ofthe side lb of the tilt member .about at the corner formedby the extension of the body l of said tilt member from said side, thus to act as a stop; similarly the other of said lugs Oh will meet with the outermost portion of the tilt plate or member l at about the corner formed by said angle between the portions lb and l to form a stop by such cooperation. Thus the extent of the tilting movement of the tilting member l is limited in opposite directions by the two stop members-6b, and in a corresponding manner the tilting movement oflthe tilt bar I is controlled when said tilt bar is actuated by the pull cord 1 as will be hereafter more fully described.

The manner of movably mounting the tilt member l upon the portion 5 of the bracket 6 is simple, there being provided a headed pivot or axis 8, see Figure 5, the headed portion of which is designated 8. The smaller portion ofthe axis l is upset in order to permanently attach the axis member to the tilt member l at the side-lb of the latter, and the portion 5 of the bracket 3 is received between the part lb and the head 9 of said axis member I. Likewise there is attached to the axis member 8, between the head 3 thereof and the side of the bracket part 5, opposite that at which the tilt member l is disposed, an actuating sector I! suitably toothed as at H, and arranged with its teeth in mesh with the worm if of the operating shaft ii.

The operating shaft I8 is mounted so that its ends are supported in flanges ll bent from the inner and outer edge portions of the bracket l as shown clearly in. Figure 3, said flanges ll being formed with openings providing suitable bearings for the shaft. The worm i! is preferably made of brass and is pinned to the shaft II as shown at l5, though it may be secured to the shaft in any suitable way for movement therewith.

On, one end of the shaft I3 is fixedly attached the operating wheel or pulley l6, said wheel being made up of two radially corrugated plates,

the outer portions of which are spaced apart sufficiently to permit the pull cord 1 to be received between said outer-portions which form a groove therefor. The radial corrugations of the sides of the wheel ii are designated IM and provide roughened portions to increase the frictional contact of the cord 1 with the wheel in a manner which will be readily apparent.

As shown in Figure 6, the wheel I6 is attached tothe shaft [3 by theformation on the adjacent end of the'shaft of a shoulder l1 against which the inner member or side of the wheel l6 abuts,

the outer member or side of the wheel being fixed in tight relation to the inner side by upsetting the shaft I3 at its extremity atthe point designated i8. In this manner the wheel I8 is rendered quite rigidly fixed to the shaft and the shoulder i1 is spaced from the adjacent end of the shaft sumciently to allow a little space between the inner side of the wheel l6 and the adjacent flange ll of the bracket 8. Mounted in this space between the outer side of saidilange ll and the inner side of the. wheel I6 is disposed the pendent, freely movable guide member l9, which is preferably rounded at its upper portion so that the periphery of said upper portion conforms'somewhat to the shape of the periphery of the wheel l8, whilst the lower portion of the guide member is formed with outwardly bent and brought together flange parts I90. that when brought together constitute, practically speaking, a guide loop, seen'best'in Figure 5 of the drawing. member I! might be described, of inverted sufficient diameterand of somewhat oval shape in cross section so as to freely admit of movement therethrough of the depending portions of the pull cord 1 after said pull cord is looped about' the wheel l8.

It is notable that the said loop parts Ila, Ila are spaced 9. short distance from and below the adjacent peripheral portions of the wheel l6 and the purpose of this space may now be stated. In the operation of applying the pull cord 1 to the wheel it when assembling the tilting unit for use, the middle portion of the cord is formed into a loop, the sides of which are closely in contact, and this loop is forced up through the loop portion of the guide member l9'from below. After being passed through said loop portion a sufficient amount of the cord is then pulled fully through said loop portion to enable the cord to be passed around the wheel ll, whereupon it is pushed into the groove of the wheel 1.. Then,

by pulling downwardly upon the dependent portions of the cord 1 at the sides of the loop, the

cord is forced fairly tightly into the wedge groove provided by the sides of the wheel l l' and thus properly engaged Wli-h the radial corrugations of said sides ofthe wheel. In this manner slippage of the cord 1 relatively to the wheel I8 is avoided.

With the foregoing features of construction of my Venetian blind tilter unit set forth, the operation of the device is much the same assimilar devices now in use, and may be stated as follows:

Letusassumethatthetiltbar l isintheposition of Figure 5, and it is desired to tilt the shutter members of the blind toward the horizontal', or at an opposite inclination to that in a which the member i is illustrated. It may be noted thatthe shutter members of the blind always assume, the same angle or tilt as the tilt bar l,soallthattheuserhastodoistopull down on Generally speaking, thev guide one end of the cord I, the end which will produce a rotation of the wheel it, to shift the tilt memher 4 in the desired direction for the adjustment or sector gear ID, the sector. It being flxed to the stud member or axis 8, and the tilt member tive of to which side of a ripherai portion of the I being fixed to the same member. It is obvious that a turning of the sector It turns the tilt member 4 and the tilt bar I in a corresponding direction. The amount of the tilting movement of the tilt bar I will be limited by the engagement of--the portions a, b of the tilt member 4 with the stops 6b of the'bracket 6.

, Now, should a person pulling on the cord I be located a little to one side of the vertical line through the tilting unit, the tendency of the cord pull will 'be in a lateral direction from said vertical line, and under such conditions the movable guide member II is adapted to shift laterally and thus to maintain the guide loop Na, Na in line with the cord and the direction of pull thereon so that the cord will freely move through the loop without binding. The foregoing is true irrespecvertical line passing through the axis of thewheel It the pull cord is grasped and pulled upon.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 1

l; A tilt unit for Venetian blinds, comprising a supporting bracket, a tilt member tiltably mounted thereon for cooperation with a tilt bar, operating means for moving the tilt member inycluding a wheel and an operating shaft therefonand a guide member rockably mounted upon said shaft adjacent to said wheel and having a guide portion for a pull cord spaced from the wheel and a pull cord looped about the wheel and passing through the guide portion of the uide member, the guide member being swingable upon the shaft in'the direction of lateral pull exerted-upon .the pull cord for turning of the wheel to cause tilting. action of the tilt member.

2. A tilt unit for Venetian blinds, comprising asupporting a tilt member tiltabiy mountedthereondor cooperation with a tilt bar,'. operating means for moving the tilt member in-.

cluding a wheel and an operating'shaft therefor, a guide member rockably mounted on the shaft at one side of the wheel and comprising a guide loop spaced from the peripheral portionof the wheel and substantially in the plane of the pewheel, and a cord passing about the peripheral portion of the wheel and. through the said guide loop and freely movable through the guide loop by pull thereon causing it to move around the wheel.

*3. A tilt unit for Venetiansblinds, comprising a supporting bracket, a tilt member tiltably mounted thereon for cooperation with a tilt bar,

ing portion of the bracket and operating means for moving the tilt member including a wheel and an operating shaft there-.

for, and a guide member at one side of the wheel rockably pendent from the shaft and provided with a guide portion for a around the wheel.

4. A. tilt unit for Venetian blinds, comprising a. bracket member attachable to a head rail and pull cord passing consisting of a plate having a depending portion formed with spaced vertical flanges having shaft bearings, an operating shaft mounted in said bearings 01' the flanges and extending outwardly from one of the flanges to provide a wheel supporting portion, a wheel fixed to said shaft at the last mentioned portion, a worm fixed to the'shaft at a point between the flanges, a gear sector pivoted to the-depending portion of the bracket below said worm and wheel and having its gear portion meshing with the worm, a stud member providing an axis for the gear sector on said de pending portion of the bracket and fixed thereto, a tilt member at the side of the depending portion of the bracket opposite that carrying the gearsector and flxed to said stud member whereby to be turned by. the movement of the gear sector, and a guide member for a pull cord rockably mounted between the wheel and the flange por tion of the bracket adjacent to which the wheel is disposed on its shaft, said guide member comprising an upper portion conforming in .shape somewhat to the peripheral portion of the wheel a and said member freely depending from the shaft for rocking movement thereon, the lower end of the guide member being formed with outwardly bent flange portions shaped to provide a guide loop disposed in the plane of the peripheral por- V tion of the wheel but spaced from said peripheral ing a supporting bracket attachable to a head rail andhaving a vertical depending portion bent laterally about midway of its upper and lower ends and formed with pressed out spaced stop members at said laterally bent portion, a tilt member mounted at one side of the dependmembers, said tilt member having means to-engage and interlock with a. tilt bar and being so arranged that opposite portions thereof are adapted to engage with the stops aforesaid to limit the turning or tilting movement of the tilt I member, mounting means between the tilt mem her and the depending portion of the bracket on which it is carried, and actuating parts on the bracket for shifting the tilt member to thereby correspondingly operate a tilt bar that may be connected therewith.

RICHARD H. WRIGHT.

below said stop I 

